Independence Day Spirit in Scarsdale: July 4, 1959

Here are remarks from Deputy Mayor Randall Whitestone delivered at the annual Edgewood Fourth of July celebration in Davis Park:

Hello neighbors, and happy Fourth of July. It’s great to be back with you.

Each year Edgewood – which I’ve called home for 28 years – seems to outdo itself with a wonderful parade, amazing marchers, and beautifully decked out bicycles and floats. Congratulations to all of you. And thank you to Matt, Margaret Marcus and the Arthur Manor Neighborhood Association, the police and fire departments, and to all of YOU for continuing this special and historic tradition.

Speaking of history, we continue to live in momentous times. What’s happening in Russia and Ukraine may seem distant, but it will surely have impacts we can’t yet foresee. Scarsdale has long been respectful of both its own meaningful history and of the resonance of events far beyond our shores – and has come together to show it can make a difference.

A few weeks before July 4th in 1959, local luminaries began an effort to mobilize Scarsdale to send aid to our ally, South Korea, ravaged by a three-year war that caused widespread death and destruction throughout the peninsula, pausing only after a 1953 armistice – 70 years ago this month. This local effort was led by Dr. Howard Rusk of Greenacres, known as the father of modern rehabilitation medicine, and attorney Robert Delany who lived four blocks from here on Gaylor Road. More about Mr. Delany in a moment.

The theme of their project was, “Independence – everyone’s declaring it, Scarsdale’s sharing it.” Proceeds from fundraising efforts leading up to and including the village wide Fourth of July celebration at Dean Field at the high school, with attendees numbering in the thousands, were to go to the American Korean Foundation. In turn, the foundation, led by Dr. Rusk as chair, would contribute the funds to benefit Korean orphanages, schools, hospitals, and other social-welfare activities.

According to news coverage at the time, all of Scarsdale pitched in: religious congregations, school groups, service clubs, Boy and Girl scout troops, legionnaires, neighborhood associations, political parties, the Chamber of Commerce, and the police, fire, and recreation departments. Juniors and seniors at the high school washed cars and sold cakes. Youth Work Day volunteers cut lawns and washed windows, and 350 scouts distributed celebration fact sheets to 8,000 homes in Scarsdale and neighboring communities. Letters of support came from Synghman Rhee, president of South Korea, and former U.S. presidents Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover. Marilyn Monroe sent a sweater to be auctioned. Undersecretary of the Air Force Malcolm MacIntyre later served as the Mayor of Scarsdale.
The celebration on the Fourth itself – “The Day Scarsdale Shared its Independence” – featured a Korean flag handmade by the Girl Scouts, renditions of both the Star Spangled Banner and the South Korean national anthem, a flyover by a member of the Korean Air Force, and a speech by the South Korean ambassador to the United States. Undersecretary of the Air Force Malcolm MacIntyre, later mayor of Scarsdale, was the keynote speaker, telling of his recent trip to US bases in the Far East. Said Mr. MacIntyre, "The destruction visited upon our South Korean friends in their struggle to. remain free and improve their well-being is equally apparent from President Syngman Rhee down. We should be proud that our own boys join with theirs on the ramparts we watch in the common knowledge that eternal vigilance is still the price of liberty."

Less than two weeks later, Robert Delany of Gaylor Road traveled to Seoul, South Korea’s capital, and handed President Rhee a $5,000 check to fund 500 scholarships. In all, the Shared Independence celebration raised about $25,000 – roughly equivalent to about $250,000 today.

Now, just a bit about Mr. Delany: a graduate of Fordham and Brooklyn Law School, he was admitted to the bar in 1937, served as an Army troop commander from 1941 to 1946, and was recalled to duty during the Korean War to oversee “Operation Blue Jay” involving the construction of a series of air bases in Arctic areas including Iceland, Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland, achieving the rank of colonel in the reserves. Mr. Delany later served as chairman of Icelandic Air; locally, served as a village trustee and chair of the Board of Appeals, and received the Scarsdale Bowl in 1979. His wife, Dr. Frances Delany, earned her PhD from Fordham and in her late 40s and served as chief psychologist at schools in New York and Connecticut. Together the Delanys had seven children.

Why am I telling you all this? Because the story of Scarsdale’s Fourth of July in 1959 is a story of Scarsdale as a community stepping forward in dangerous Cold War times to embrace another country, another culture, and a cause larger than itself. Certainly prominent local residents were involved, but the real heroes of this long-ago episode were individuals, the hundreds of local residents – including school kids -- who washed the cars, cut the lawns, and helped raise the money in an inspiring example of local togetherness and common purpose.

As I look out on today’s gathering, I am confident we are capable of so much if we pull together. I am grateful that our heritage of community spirit endures.

Thank you and Happy Fourth!